Dr. Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, said the global toxic crisis affects everyone on the planet, but those most disproportionately affected include children and youth.

This risk is higher in the Global South, where capacity to manage chemicals and waste is often limited and there is a large proportion of youth in their population, he said.

The recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment by the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly has galvanized youth activists, who see it as a turning point in the approach to the sound management of chemicals and waste.

Governments and business should include more youth in decision-making bodies and at negotiating tables, they demand.

Here are their voices:

“Grassroot voices can make a difference”

Sakshi M. Krishna has seen the harmful effects of pesticides very closely.

Many farmers in India are turning to agricultural chemicals to boost their crops in the face of rising temperatures and other climate-related patterns, but at the price of putting their own health and lives at risk.

“Pesticides can enhance agricultural productivity, but they took a toll on my community. I have seen firsthand how climate change affects people’s lives, and as a young person, I’m driven to connect global challenges with human rights and work toward fair and meaningful change,” she said.

Sakshi, 26, said grassroot voices need to be involved in finding equitable solutions to the global climate crisis. For example: more access to safe fertilizers for farmers or development loans to spark local growth.

“You cannot talk about biodiversity and chemicals without talking about human rights and social justice: It is all interconnected,” said Sakshi, who is the founder of “My Earth,” a youth-led organization to empower young people to advocate for climate, biodiversity, inclusion and civil rights.

“We need to bring in more scientists”

Delfina Hlashwayo is passionate about public health and science.

A bio-medical lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Sciences of Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique, Delfina is also a global campaigner for women in research and youth engagement.

“In Mozambique we face many challenges with regards to chemicals and waste,” the 29-year-old activist said.

For Delfina, science plays a crucial role in understanding and managing hazardous materials, from identifying their properties to developing safe handling and disposal methods for a more environmentally healthy world.

“We have research on plants affected by chemicals and the impact on public health when people eat these plants. We need to bring scientists to the global discussions on waste and the environment,” she said.

“The Global North has some responsibility”

“The Global North has some responsibility and should be held accountable. We regulate and ban chemicals and pollutants, but export waste to the Global South,” said Leonie Dietschi, from Zurich, Switzerland.

Leonie, 24, is pursuing a master's degree in globalization and development and is interested in the Basel Convention, which was created to protect people and the environment from the negative effects of the inappropriate management of hazardous wastes worldwide.

“Pollution, especially chemical and plastic pollution, have a lot to do with human rights because these pollutants end up affecting the most marginalized communities, including Indigenous Peoples,” she said.

Leonie believes young people’s unprecedented mobilization around climate change, coupled with their use of social media, is an opportunity to hold decision-makers accountable.

“Young people can reach heads of governments and companies. Before you had to write to the local newspaper, and you were not sure if anybody was listening. Now, young people’s voices are being heard.”

“We need to protect our beautiful island”

“For Samoans, the land is not just earth beneath our feet. We are connected to the lands and the sea. We will do everything to protect it and make sure everybody is healthy,” said Marinda Imakulata Tagiilima Leiataua.

A small island country in the South Pacific Ocean, Samoa is highly vulnerable to pollution and climate change, including loss of biodiversity such as fish, coral, birds, and land species.

Marinda, 22, advocates for her people’s fundamental rights to healthy lives, food, and a clean and safe environment.

“The greatest threat in the Pacific when it comes to pollution is pesticides. Our communities rely on agriculture, so there's an influx of imported chemicals and pesticides,” said Marinda, who educates people about sound waste management.

Landfills are also causing great environmental and health damage, as many islanders live next to landfills, with chemicals seeping into the water and soil, she said.

For Marinda, hazardous waste and pollution is a byproduct of global inequality, with the Global South shouldering most of the burden due to poor waste management infrastructure, funding, and education.

“Mercury is harming our women and children”

Anpo Jensen is committed to strengthening Indigenous sovereignty by combining treaty rights and science to help protect the way of life of her Oglala Lakota Nation.

The 28-year-old environmental engineer leads a youth team that collects water and soil samples in her Indigenous treaty territory encompassing the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the United States, looking for mercury and other contaminants.

“Mercury has a real harmful impact on women and children. Women of childbearing age transmit it to their unborn babies. Also, children swim in these waters,” said Anpo, who advocates for bringing Indigenous solutions to the global health and climate crisis.

Learning about mercury will help her community make informed decisions about health, she said. “It's our future, our children’s future and our great-grandchildren's future.”

“Pollution is a big human rights problem”

Judy Aguilar is a tech business entrepreneur from Mexico and a founder of @iColect, a platform that helps companies manage toxic waste.

“Mexico only handles 30% of its toxic waste well. The other 70% is hurting people, including children and young people. And it's not only affecting their health, but the environment, the air, the water,” she said.

Judy, 33, believes technology and innovation, along with better information and awareness campaigns from governments, can help Latin America improve its waste management challenges.

“Our region tends to put growth and economic decisions before health, but pollution is a human rights problem. It's important that people, specially the most vulnerable, know what's happening in their ecosystems so they can make better decisions about their health.”

“Plastic is affecting our health”

« Les pays du Sud sont confrontés à un double défi : une demande énergétique élevée et une pollution plastique croissante, les pays en développement luttant pour trouver un équilibre entre la croissance industrielle et la protection de l’environnement », a déclaré Sameh.

Responsable de l’innovation au sein du comité national EGYouth4Climate, qui est soutenu par le Ministère égyptien de l’environnement et des affaires étrangères, Sameh a déclaré que la région avait besoin de davantage de mécanismes financiers pour développer des infrastructures de pointe dans le domaine des déchets et du recyclage.

« Les dirigeants du monde entier aiment dire que les jeunes sont les leaders de demain, mais si nous ne luttons pas contre tous ces produits chimiques et déchets qui nous entourent, demain n’existera plus pour nous. »